Attachments

Mayor's Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement

Civic Engagement:

Everyday in the city of Bloomington residents are renewing their commitment to helping others and making greater networks that unite us as a community.

Stephen P. Akers received the 2011 Mayor's Award For Excellence in Civic Engagement at the State of the City Address on March 2, 2011. As Associate Director for Environmental Operations for Residential Programs and Services at Indiana University, Steve was recognized for his work spearheading and coordinating large-scale re-use campaigns -- diverting reusable items from eleven IU student dormitories to community members and agencies that could use them.

PURPOSE

Bloomington has a tradition of volunteer and civic service. Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. The purpose of the Mayor's Award for Civic Engagement is to acknowledge Bloomington residents, who, through their commitment to service, have significantly improved civic life in Bloomington, Indiana. Through civic engagement, recipients of this award personify the notion of "public good vs. private gain." Civic engagement is defined as the following: individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. Civic engagement can take many forms, from individual volunteerism to organizational involvement to electoral participation. It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem, or interact with the institutions of a representative democracy.

NOMINEE CRITERIA and ELIGIBILITY

Awards may be granted to individuals or groups who have made a positive difference in Bloomington. We are looking for people/groups with exemplary civic service and community involvement. The number of awards available is strictly limited and therefore, however valuable their service, not everyone can receive recognition. It is important to realize that an award will not automatically be granted following a submission. An award from each category may be granted at the discretion of the Mayor.

Award Categories:

· INDIVIDUAL:

Young Adult (age 25 and under)

Adult (age 26 and over)

· GROUP:

Student: Elementary, Middle, High School or University/College

Community Based

* Individual Nominees must be residents of Bloomington; Group Nominee's must perform work or services within the Bloomington city limits

PROCESS RECOMMENDATIONS

Individuals and groups can be nominated by City of Bloomington staff, commission and committee members, or by members of the community. An independent Civic Engagement Award selection task force will review all nominations and submit the top five nominations in each category to the Mayor for final selection. Awards will be announced and presented during The 2012 State of the City Address.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Please accurately complete the 2012 Mayor's Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement Nomination Form (PDF 70.51 KB) and follow the instructions in each section closely. It is important that you provide as much information as possible about your nominee, and explain their actual contribution and impact. You may use additional sheets of paper, but please ensure that you state to which section the additional information you are providing relates. Please feel free to send in examples of the Nominee's work (e.g. videos, photographs, books), provided supporting materials do not exceed five pages. Please note that all application materials will remain property of the City of Bloomington and will not be returned. For your convienence you may also complete the 2012 Mayor's Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement Nomination Form on-line.

CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

The information contained in this nomination is strictly confidential and will not be communicated to any person other than those involved in the administration of the Mayor's award with the exception of background information provided, which may be used in association with the announcement of the recipient or and promotion of the award.

Please submit four hard copies or an electronic copy of your nomination to: